Top 20 Really Easy Bosses in Really Hard Games

#20: Bob the Killer Goldfish

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Top 10 Really Easy Bosses in Really Hard Games

“Earthworm Jim 2” (1995) We’re just going to get this guy out of the way quickly, as he’s so incredibly easy it’s hard to even call him a boss fight! “Earthworm Jim 2” like its predecessor is an incredibly tough game, even more so when you compare it to other platformers of the time. It’s first boss fight however, is definitely played up for laughs as all you’ll have to do is walk up to him, and the rest will play out. Right as the fight dramatically begins, Jim will immediately grab poor Bob out of his bowl and eat him. It doesn’t get any weirder and easier than that!

“Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice” (2019) Sekiro stands out amongst other FromSoftware games as quite possibly their hardest title. The game features some of the most intense boss fights, and the fact you can’t over level yourself like the other Souls games makes it even tougher. That’s probably why the Folding Screen Monkeys stand out so much in comparison to the other boss fights. Players will have to track down various Monkeys within a castle who will barely put up a fight. Once you’ve taken down enough of them, the battle will suddenly end. The only thing close to a challenge in this boss fight is finding them!

#18: Mr. Holiday

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“Wanted: Dead” (2023) One of the most recent releases on this list, Wanted: Dead is an excruciatingly hard game, with long levels filled with tough enemies and very few checkpoints in between. The bosses themselves are also quite tough as well, with many of them featuring hard to dodge instant kills. Mr. Holiday however stands out above the rest as not only incredibly plain, but also very easy. You’ll be stuck in a long corridor with two of the Tom Cruise look-alikes, and all you’ll have to do is run from one end to another on repeat, while shooting him as he makes his way to you. The fact that there are two of them makes no difference at all, as once you kill one of them the boss gets even easier.

“Donkey Kong Country” (1994) The original SNES Donkey Kong Country trilogy is pretty darn tough, especially for newer players who aren’t used to games of that time. Many of the levels in the game require some expert platforming precision, and with limited lives you’ll be often hitting that haunting game over screen. That’s why it’s so surprising how easy the first boss is, the goofy looking beaver Gnawty. All he’ll do is slowly hop along the screen, allowing you to easily jump on his head to deal damage. Every time you do hit him, he’ll briefly stop and laugh towards the screen, giving you enough time to get away from him.

#16: Ganon

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“Link: The Faces of Evil” (1993) The Legend of Zelda CDI spin offs are notorious for not only being awful games, but also for their janky and tough difficulty. After making their way through the hell that is “Link: The Faces of Evil”, players will confront Link’s archnemesis Ganon and be treated to the most laughably bad animation they’ve ever seen. After that monstrosity, it’ll be up to you to defeat Ganon, who pathetically shoots some fireballs, all before Link one-shots him by tossing a book at him. Does it get any sadder than this?

“Dark Souls III” (2016) Upon entering this Cathedral in “Dark Souls III” we wouldn’t blame you if you were worried by the sheer amount of enemies there are within this boss fight. Worry not though, as each and every one of the Deacons are massive pushovers. Mainly firing magical attacks, these enemies will mostly stand around, waiting for you to strike them. Even if you get completely surrounded by them, you won’t be in that much trouble as you’ll be able to quickly roll out of it. Not only is this one of the easiest bosses in the franchise, but also one of the dullest.

“Pokémon Stadium” (2000) Talk to anyone who’s played the Pokemon Stadium series and they’ll all tell you the same thing: the AI almost certainly cheats against you in its Pokemon battles. After making your way through countless cheating trainers, you’ll come up against the Legendary Mewtwo, who at the time was the big bad of the franchise. Luckily for you, it’ll be a six versus one battle, meaning that even if Mewtwo gives you some trouble, you’ll be able to outlast him thanks to your roster size. And if you’re using the transfer pack to use your Red and Blue Team instead of the rental system, you’ll have an even easier time!

“Dark Souls” (2011) For many, the original “Dark Souls” was their first foray into the “Soulsborne” genre of games. So after defeating some of the toughest bosses in video games ever, Pinwheel had players thinking “Was that it?”. The enemy will slowly float around the small room in the catacombs, making copies of itself and not really making much effort to attack you. Once you do suss out the real one, it won’t take that many hits before this pyromaniac is put out for good.

“The Legend of Zelda” (1987) As the first game in the franchise, it’s no surprise that this NES classic is one of the toughest. Players will be dumped right in the middle of the map with tough enemies and dungeons with little to no guidance. The game also has some very tough boss fights, but Digdogger is well known for how unchallenging it is. If players use the recorder, Digdogger will shrink in size, becoming almost comparable to a standard enemy, which allows Link to finish it off in just a few hits. We would be remiss not to also mention Gohma, who is easily defeated after just one arrow to the eye.

“Demon's Souls” (2009) Many thought that the extremely tough “Old King Allant” was the final boss of Demon Souls, however that wasn’t to be. As it turns out there is one more boss right after him, the true form of King Allant, who takes the form of a disgusting ball of flesh. This pathetic boss can barely move and has some of the most lackluster attacks in video games. The battle will be quickly over, as all you’ll have to do is just wail on him with your attacks. We know this boss was more of a lore thing, but it had many gamers wondering what exactly was the point of it.

“Nioh” (2017) Picture this: you’re about to go head-to-head with a legendary samurai - what do you think of? Swords clashing, a test of speed, and heavy armor, right? None of that matters when facing off against the yokai of Honda Tadakatsu. Your first instinct would be to charge in and fight him, but what if we told you you can basically insta-kill him without ever having to touch him? Simply destroy the three crystals around the battlefield, and he’s done for.

#9: The Wall

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“Contra” (1987) We know we're cheating a bit on this one - it is the first boss, after all - but this is “Contra” we're talking about, infamous for its insane levels and even more insane boss fights. The Wall is not only one of the most iconic bosses in gaming, but it is one of the easiest in the franchise. Equipped with only two blaster cannons and a sniper at the top, you and a friend can easily put the Wall out of commission. The sniper can be killed quickly, and once one of the cannons is gone, the Wall becomes more of a picket fence.

“Shovel Knight” (2015) Just the look of this guy screams, “I'm an egotistical jerk”. Despite being the most royal out of the Order of No Quarter, a fight with Pridemoor Keep’s ruler is like a fight with the Black Knight. We're not saying this is a bad boss fight, it's just that King Knight doesn't really do much. His lunges are short and slow, and the fanfare confetti isn't much of a screen sweeper. As long as you keep bopping on his head, you can defeat King Knight and emerge unscathed. King Knight seems to have a more diverse moveset in the “King of Cards” prequel expansion - maybe he was just tired during our encounter?

#7: The Master

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“Fallout” (1997) Holy hell, what is that thing?! Sorry… The evil mutated brain trope has been used for some memorable boss fights, but on the other hand, how many of those have been easily defeated through speech checks? Yes, the Master, a diabolical brain responsible for forming the Mutant Army who has access to gatling lasers, can be defeated through a nice chat. If you manage to convince the Master to abandon his plan, he’ll trigger the nuke in the Vault and kill himself. Of course, we’d prefer the more challenging approach; engage in mortal radioactive combat!

#6: Yu Yevon

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Top 10 Hardest Final Bosses in Video Games

“Final Fantasy X” (2001) The “Final Fantasy” franchise has had many bosses that have caused us to break controllers or shout obscenities. However, if you’re looking for a finale that’s smooth sailing (aside from spamming life potions on Evrae Altana), the not-so-epic final fight with Yu Yevon should suffice. With the game providing you with an “Auto-Life” feature, it's practically impossible to get a game over! But, this also makes us wonder: what’s the point of the fight, if there’s nothing at stake? I mean, that’s generally what final bosses are supposed to be, right? A challenge that tests your knowledge of the game and might cause a significant amount of retries? Not in this game, buddy.

“Mega Man 2” (1988) The Robot Masters of the “Mega Man” series can be difficult depending on which ones you tackle in which order. Since they all have weaknesses against one another, one could argue that every boss is easy. Bubble Man makes the list because it really doesn’t matter when you decide to take him on, he’s still not much of a challenge. His reliance on swimming turns him into a sitting duck, and if he were to fire his Bubble Cannon more frequently, maybe he’d be more formidable. Brownie points for the spiked ceiling, but this guy’s simply too easy to pop.

#4: The Covetous Demon

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“Dark Souls II” (2014) Okay, “Dark Souls II” may not be everyone’s favorite game in the series, but it certainly had its fair share of challenges. The bosses, however, were all over the place in terms of difficulty, with some feeling damn near impossible to defeat and others being a total cakewalk. The Covetous Demon falls into the latter category for its easy-to-read attacks, making him incredibly predictable. He moves so slow that you’re given a good amount of time to really lay into him. He’s not too versatile in terms of his moveset either, often using short-ranged attacks with an occasional jump here and there. In the end, you’ll feel like this fight took longer than it should have and wondering why it was even there.

“Cuphead” (2017) “Cuphead” is loaded with colorful bosses that will keep you and a friend constantly playing and replaying the game. Each one has its own tricks and patterns to make every fight unique. While we were considering Goopy le Grande for our pick, our minds were changed when we saw the predictable behavior in Werner Werman. In each phase, Werner only uses two or three basic, easy-to-read attacks. Will he move left or right? Up or down? No matter what, you’ll have plenty of time to find your escape route. For someone equipped with explosives, flamethrowers, and a mechanical cat, he quickly becomes a pushover.

#2: The Witch of Hemwick

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“Bloodborne” (2015) “Bloodborne” has some of the most intense boss battles you’ll find in gaming, which is why it pains us to see it on the list. You’ve fought through psychotic villagers and disgusting maggots, and now it's time to play “hide n’ seek”…seriously? The Witch will turn invisible and fire orbs at you, giving away her position. After a few attacks, she’ll disappear and send in not a group, not a trio, not a duo, but ONE enemy. ONE SLOW, WEAK, WIMPY, ENEMY. Yeah, we had our eyes rolling throughout this whole fight. Wait, you have to fight a second Witch, too? Maybe this fight is more challenging than we thought —done. She’s dead. Nevermind.

#1: Shredder

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“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (1989) You would think for someone to be the archnemesis of the Ninja Turtles, they would have to be quite the formidable opponent. Lesson number one, kids; looks can be deceiving, and that’s the case for The Shredder and his cool entrances. Shredder manages to put up a fight, but that's only if you let him. It is possible to cheese your way through this final boss fight by knocking him off a platform and hitting him every time he jumps at you. The rest of the game is known for being notoriously difficult, which is what makes this particular boss battle all the more laughable.